Loading and unloading attachment for vehicles.



I 6.1. GREEK a n A. 'FbNTAmE.

7 LOADING AND uuunums AITACHMENT rdn mucus.

APPLICAIION FILED JUNE 2-. I911. I

1 352,899. Patented .Jm s,191&

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE '1. GREEK AND ROBERT A. FONTAINE, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

LOADING AND UNLOADING ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Gnome T. Gnusn andRoBnR'r A. 'FONTAINE, citizens of the fid States, residing at Roanoke, 1n the vehicles whereby the lading may be readily loaded. and unloaded and is particularly intended to handle articles such as brick or the like that may be readily stacked. The object of the invention is to provide improvements generally in devices of this character,

and with such object in view the invention consists of the formation, coinbmatlon and arrangement of parts as will be herein set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the rear end of a motor truck equipped in accordance with the present invention and V and Fi S a side elevational view of the same. Fig. 9 is a broken side elevational view showing the rear end of the runway on the truck frame and Fig. 10 abroken end 'elevational view of the same, these figures showin the arrangement of the roller u on which t e frame travels. Fig. 11 is abro en end elevation'alview of the body standing on its end upon the ound and with a portion of a load of bric s or the like therein.

Referring now to these drawings, the motor truck is shown as'having wheels 1,.s1de *frames 2 and a cab B. Mounted upon each of the motor frames is a runway rail 4,'these being secured to the frames by means of the brackets 5 and 6. These runways are inclined for a portion of their lengths from the rear toward the front of the truck.- The brackets 5 also constitute a bearin for the transversely disposed shaft 7, this s aft having secured to it a pair of sheaves or rollers 8, one being disposed just inslde of each of the bearings 5. which are secured to the 1nner faces of the runways.

. Thebody which receives the ladin g is de Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed June a, 1911. Serial No. 172.554.

tachable from the truckandis carried in a frame or cradle 9. This cradle is designed when fully on the truck to occupy a plane substantially parallel with the incline 10 of the runways 4 and consists of a pair of parallel side channels 11 which aline with and travel upon the rollers 8. Mounted below each channel 11 and spaced therefrom a sufficient distance to accommodate the roller 8 is an angle bar 12. At the rear end of the frame a cross beam such as the channel 13 extends from one sideto the other of the frame and with its ends disposed between and secured to'the channels 11 and angle bars 12 and serving tospace one of these latter from the other. -At the front ends of the angles 12 brackets 14 are used to'space the channels 11 and angle bars 12, these brackets being disposed between and being secured to the said channels and angles. The brackets 14 are each arranged also with a threaded opening to accommodate an adjustin screw 15 Whichextends parallel with and betwecn the said channel and angle bar. Carried upon the rear end of the adjusting screws are stop blocks 16 which are arranged with upper and lower ways or grooves to embrace the adjacent edges of the channels 11 and an les 12 respectively. These stop blocks are a apted to contact the rollers 8 when the frame and body. are allowed to move to the rear of the truck. and

to swing thereabout to deposit the'body upon the ground.

. The side channels ll continue toward the front of the truck for some distance beyond the ends of the angle bars 12 and each one carries on itslower face and near its front end a bracket or hearing 17. These accor'ns modate the transversely disposed axle 18 upon which are mounted the runway wheels or rollers 19. These rollers are spaced to line with and bear upon the inclined portion of the runway rails 4 and the front ehd of the lading is supported thereupon.

From the extreme front ends of the side channels 11 angles 20 extend upwardly and rearwardly and at their upper ends are joined to the braces 21 which extend down parts to form the projections 23. These rojections serve with. the angl 20 an ga Sets hm g g m ans for r ising wardly and rearwardly to the channels 11. f

' "Y. up the body as will later be explained, and the 'entire arms form means for lifting and holding the body and its lading.

Extending across the front end of the frame is a cross bar or channel 24, this be mg oined to the angles 20 by means of gussets 25. To this cross bar is secured, by means of the eyebolt 26 a rope or cable 27.

Mounted on the front ends of the runway rails 4 are brackets 28 and these accommodate the winding shaft 29 and drum shaft 30, the gears 31 and 32 bein secured respectively on these shafts an caring the same together. 'On one end of tie winding shaft is a crank 33 and at a suitable point onone or the other of the shafts is the ratchet wheel 34 with its coiiperating pawl 35 to hold the load in position. A drum 36 is mounted on the shaft 30 and u on this the cable 27 is wound to draw the rame to its forward position upon the truck.

The body 37 is in the present embodiment constructed of plates, angle-irons, and bars and as positioned upon the motor truck is made with its top and its rear end open and with all of its other sides closed. The bars 38 extend along each side ofthe body and beyond the front end thereof and'are there pierced to accommodate the transversely disposed lifting bar 39. This bar extends laterally beyond the sides of the body a sufficient-distance to be engaged by the lifting armsof the frame, the ends of the bar 39 seating in the elbows formed by the angles 20, bars 21 and gussets 22 of the frame.

At the rear end of the. body are a plurality of clamps, designated 40, 41 and 42.

. the clamping bar 42.

These are made in the form of bars or the like and are threaded at their lower ends upon a transversely disposed rod or pintle 43 about which these clamp bars may swing to a limited extent. Disp ed transversely of the body is a clamp-actu ting mechanism 44'which is constructedas follows: The rear ends of each of, the bars 38 and the coiitiguous sides of the body are pierced and through one side extends a short section of pipe 45. This pipe is provided at its outer end with a lever or handle 46 for rotating it and has also an abutment such as the pin .47 which bears against the outside of the body around the pierced opening therein.

The pipe 45 is internally threaded to 'accommodate the threads on the end of a bar 48. This bar is threaded through co-alining openings inthe clamping bars 40, 41 and 42 and through the far side of the body. The

inner end of the pipe 45 bears-at 49 against the near side of the bar 40 and thebar 48 is provided with shoulders at 5-0 to en age the sides of the openin atthe far si eof Tgus when t epipe 45 is rotated the clamping bar 42 is rawn to- I wardthe bar 40 and articles dis osed" therebetween will be firmly held in p ace. When I the pipe 45 is unscrewed from the bar 48 the utter may be withdrawn from the clamping bars, the opening in thefar side of the bodybeing elongated to permit the passage of'the shoulders 50. While the bar is deposited open end downward upon the ground.

A description of the operation and use of the device will now be given, it being contemplated that two or more of the bodies will'be used with each truck equipment.

First, a detached, empty body is placed upon a platform' with its open downward and its open top to the rear, the clamps 40, 41 and 42 being' is position upon the rod 48', a similar position of. the body being shown in Fig. 11. A layer of articles to be hauled such as brick is placed in the lowermost part of the body between the clamping bars and these latter are. then drawn together to clamp the bricks: as already explained. Outstanding from the inner faces of the walls of the body near the bottom are the legsof the angle irons 51 and these are disposed at such a height "that they form shelves to partly support the next layer of brick. Thus, as shown in Fig. 11 the brick are rackedmp within the body,the clamped bricks 52 serving to partly support the mass above and the angles 51 also serving largely to support it.

When the body is loaded a truck equipped with the apparatus already descrlbed is backed up to it withthe frame retreated and standing in dropped position somewhat as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The

center of gravity of the frame, however, is

so located that the bottom thereof will tendin toward the rear wheels of the to swin truck a out the axis of the rollers 8 as a center,'-so that the arms of the frame have 39. By now rotating the drum 361 the frame will be drawn up, the elbows engaging the ends'of the bar 39 and raising the body and' its load ofl the ground by swinging the entire'mass about the rollers .8. The lower or rear end of the body rests upon the cross.

bar 13 of the frame. Continued winding .will draw the entire mass up the incline of the runwayrails, the rear end of the frame traveling on the-rollers 8. When completely up the ratchet 35 is drop ed into en gement with the ratchet wheel to ho] frame in traveling position.

Upon arrival at the oint of unloading the-ratchet is disengaged and the frame allowed to retreat down the runway and to swing down into the dotted line position of Fig. 2. Blocking; 54 placed under the open end of the ody to contact the brick and the weight is left down upon them..

When the clamps "are loosed the weight of the the frame and body will carry them onv downward within the limits set by the adjusting screw 15, the bricks resting upon the blocks 54. Thus the weight of the bricks is removed from the angles 51 and the bricks are freed from the body which is made of at the rear. This increasedwidth need not be great and because of the reduced scale of Fig. 1 relative dimensions of 3' 9" and slightly greater width at its front end than {I 3' 9}" are givento indicate more clearly this construction. In Fig. 11 the taper is somewhat magnified to clearly show the desired construction. The hooks 55 on the frame of; the car are then attached to the eyes 56. on the body. andnthe motor run ahead, pulling the body free of the load of bricks and leaving them in an orderly stack. In the embodiment shown it is necessary that the rod 48 be removed to allow the passage of any bricks inits plane and to. the front of it. -Detaching the books 55, the

being adapted when removed from the ve-,

hicle to be deposited upon its open end, and H means actuated by the weight of the body for causingthe said body to shift relative to its contents when so deposited.

3. In a loading and unloading device, a

conveying vehicle, a load-carrying body hav lng an open top and an open end, means for carrying the said bodyeupon the vehicle, and means or applying the body, thereto and removing it therefrom, the said bod being adapted when removed from the ve icle'to be deposited upon its open end, and means in connection therewith for causingthe said body to shift relative to its contents in such manner as to free the contents, from binding within the body.

4. In a loading and unloading device, a conveying vehicle, a load-carryingbody having an open top and an open end, means for carrying the said body u on the vehicle with it's open top upward, an means for applying the body thereto and removing it therefrom, the said body being adapted frame and body may be raised again into traveling position and returned to the yards where the empty body maybe exchanged for a loaded one.

Thus the entire time of the motor truck and driver will be utilized and articles handled with despatch.

The apparatus shown in the drawings and described at length herein is a practical embodiment of the invention. But it will be understood that other embodiments are possi ble within the scope of'the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the in-, vention.

What is claimed is: 1. In aloadingand unloading device, a

conveying vehicle, a load-carrying body having an open top. and an open end, means for carrying the said body upon the vehicle, and means for applying the body thereto and removing ittherefrom. the said body being adapted when removed from the vehicle to be deposited upon its open end, and means in connection therewith for causing the said body to shift relative to its contents when so deposited.

2'. In a loading and unloading device, a conveying vehicle, a load carrying body having an open top and an open end, means forcarrying the said body upon the vehicle,

and means for applying the body thereto and removing it therefrom, the said body when removed from the vehicle to be deposited upon its open end, means for supporting the contents of the body at the lower end thereof while being deposited, said means including projecting supports on the inner faces of the body, and means for can.

ing the said supports to shift away from the contents when the body is deposited.

5. In a loading and unloading device, a

conveying vehicle, a load-carrying body hav-.

1ng an open top and an open end, means for carrying the said body upon the vehicle, and means for applying the body thereto and removing it therefrom, the said body being adapted when removed from the vehicle to be deposited upon its open end, means in connection therewith" for causing the body to shift vertically relative to its contents for releasing the same, and means actuated by the vehicle for drawing the body away from the contents.

6. In aloading and unloading attachment for vehicles, a load-carrying body, a su porting frame therefor adapted to travel in a substantially horizontal plane upon the vehicle and to swing about a transverse .axis

into a substantially vertical plane. at the rear end of the vehicle, there being portions of the frame adapted to support the body when in horizontal position and there being outstanding arms carried by the frame and projections upon the body adapted to" engage the arms, whereby the body may be.

supported from the said frame when in the said vertical position.

7. In a loading and unloading attachment for vehicles, a load-carrying body, a supporting frame therefor adapted to travel in a substantially horizontal plane upon the vehicle and to swing about a transverse axis into a. substantially vertical plane at the rear end of the vehicle, therebeing ortions of the frame ada ted to support t e body when in horizonta position and there being outstanding arms carried by the frame and.

' to the frame for drawing the frame and body upon the vehicle. 1 8. In a loading and unloadin attachment for vehicles, aload-carrying ody, a supporting frametherefor ada ted to travel by gravity in a substantially orizontal lane upon the vehicle toward'the rear end t ereo and to swing b gravity about a transverse axis into a su stantially vertical lane at the rear end of the vehicle,'th ere eing portions of the frame adapted to support the body when in horizontal position and there being outstanding arms carried by the frame and projections upon the bod adapted to engage the arms, whereb the body may be supported from the said rame when in the said vertical osition, and means at tached to the frame or returning the frame and body .to their normal positions upon the truck. a i a 9. In a loading and unloading device for vehicles, a load-carrying body, a frame for receiving the same, means for causing the frame to recede by gravitytoward the rear of the vehicle and for causing the frame to swivel abouta transverse axis into avertical position at the rear of the truck, and means operable for drawing. the said frame away from the body or for drawing the said bod therewith away from its contents, as desire when in such vertical osition;

10. In a leading an' unloading device for vehicles, a load-carrying body, a frame for receiving the same, means for causing the frame to, recede b gravity toward the rear of the vehicle, an for causing the frame to swivel by gravity about a "transverse 'axis the contents of the body to shift relative thereto to release the same.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa-v tures.

into a vertical position at the rear of the truck, and means for drawing the said body away from its contents when 1n such vertical position, there being also means for causing I 

